Deuce (Swamp Desires Book 1) (15 page)

Once the aftershocks have stopped, I hold her close to me with her head against my chest. Our heartbeats are still beating out of control, but that is fine. When she is around, mine is always beating fast. I am looking forward to going to bed each night with her in my arms, and waking the next morning with her still there. This woman is all I have ever wanted. I am so lucky to have her in my life. I will spend eternity showing her how much I love her.

“I love you, baby,” I say.

“And, I love you.”

I place a kiss on her forehead and pull her closer to me. I wrap my arms around her and we lie in the bed, spent and sated from our lovemaking. She quickly falls asleep in my arms. I love watching her sleep. She is so angelic when she is sleeping.

I lay there just thinking about the past few months. And, man, I love how my life has changed. It has changed for the better. I have found my mate, my other half, the light to my soul, the one who tames my beast. This is the life I want. I will never take it for granted again. I am content and happy. And, so much in love with the woman in my arms.

I finally drift off to sleep, only to have a dream of another woman—a woman who is very dear and special to me and my brothers. She has always been there for as long as I can remember.

I feel a stirring in my mind. I have not felt this touch for a very long time. “My son,” a voice says.

“Mom.”

“Yes, my son, I am here. I have come to tell you that your father and I are so proud of you boys. You four have grown up into handsome, smart, loyal, and respectful men. You make us proud each and every day. You have conquered your ability, and now, you have found what fate has created for you. You and Adele will live a long, healthy life. You now have the love you have always wanted. But things won’t be as smooth for your brothers. Be watchful of Zander, Deuce. For his mate is into more things than he can imagine. Help him to make the right decisions.”

“Of course, Mom. I will always be there for my brothers. I miss you so much, Mom. I wish you and Dad were still here with us. I know you would approve of Adele. I just wish you could have met her.”

“Deuce, I have already met her, for God has shown her to me. I love everything about her; she is perfect. She will fit into this family perfectly. My son, I have to go now, but I wanted to let you know that your father and I love and miss you and your brothers so much. We thank God every day for giving you to us. We will one day see each other again, but not for a very long time. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

I feel her leave my head just as quickly as she appeared.

***

It must be several hours later, when I feel someone else stirring inside my head. 

“Deuce, I did not think you were ever going to fall asleep. You know sometimes you are the biggest jackass. Well, you and your brothers are,” she says.

“Well, hello there, Caissy. I was wondering when I would get to talk to you again.”

“Yeah, I was waiting for the right time to come back. So, are you happy? Because you seem content and so does your beast,” she says.

“Oh, Caissy, I am so happy and content. But I have to know: why did you make us go through that?”

“Well, I could not make it easy on you, now could I? Nothing in this life is easy, Deuce. We all have to work for something. You needed to feel what it was like to have her and then have her be taken from you. Just so you could realize what she really means to you.”

“I guess, I can understand that. A few months ago, I would not have understood it, but now I do. Everything happens for a reason, and you, my dear, have a very sick and twisted mind. But we all love it.”

“Well, thank you, Deuce. I try to keep everyone as engaged as I can. I am not perfect, but I do try my hardest.”

“So tell me, what awaits my brothers and their mates?”

“Umm, honestly, I do not know yet, but all I can tell you, is that it will not be easy for them. Not as easy as it was for you. They have a long journey to get their mates. They will have to endure pain, like they have never felt before. Did you know that right now, they are sleeping in their beds in pain? Even though they have not met their mates yet, somehow they have taken on their pain for them. But your brothers are very good at hiding things from you, Deuce.”

“I do not like the sound of that, Caissy. Just, please, do not let them suffer too much. They are my brothers, after all.”

“They will be fine, Deuce. Don’t worry, have faith in them and in me. You all will have your happily ever after, this I promise you.”

“So, I thought Skylar’s story was done?” I ask.

“Hell, I thought so too. But she wants to be a part of you and your brother’s stories. She has a big part to play and so does Adele. Somehow she was meant to be a part of this story and soon your brother’s stories. I do not know why, but she is.” she says.

“I know. She is family. We all do what we can for each other. Because that is what family does. We love each other unconditionally until the end of time. We do not judge each other because of any mistakes we have made. None of us are perfect. Just like you are a part of our lives and always will be.” I say.

“I agree, Deuce, wholeheartedly. We are family, not by blood, but family, nonetheless. I make mistakes also, I am by no means perfect. I never will be, because if I was then I would be normal. And normal is boring, my dear, sexy gator boy. There is no normal these days. We are all different and unique. We each have a purpose in this life. Sometimes it may take us a while until we figure out that purpose. Each of us has their own journey to travel, but as long as we have friends and family, we will never journey alone. Some journeys may be hard, but God has a plan for all of us. He knows.” she says.

“What about the babies? Will they have their own stories?” I ask.

“No, they will not. That story ended right after they were born. But since Joslyn and Dean are mates, and she is your cousin, they will be integral parts in your stories. Just like they were for your story. You have not seen the last of the Mackenzie family.” she says.

“Do the babies play a part somewhere down the road, because my gut tells me that they do?” I ask.

“They will, but I am not sure when.” she says.

“So, tell me, Deuce, are you happy with your story? Did I do a good job telling it?” she asks.

“I could not have had a better person to write my story for me. Thank you so much. I can never repay you for what you have done for me. I know when it is time for you to write my brothers stories, you will do an excellent job.” I say.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to be a part of your life, Deuce. I have really enjoyed writing your story. Well, it is goodbye for now. But you know, you have not heard the last from me.” she says.

“I know I haven’t. I look forward to us meeting again Caissy. Goodnight, my love.” I say.

“Goodnight, my sexy gator man.” she says.

I sleep soundly with the woman of my dreams in my arms. This is my life. It may not be perfect, but it is mine, nonetheless. I would not change it for anything. Ever! I cuddle closer to my love and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. I hope she is having good dreams as well. She has been through so much. We will overcome any obstacle that comes our way. As long as we are together, everything will be fine. One day, when things have calmed down, we will start a family of our own. But until then, we will help my brothers find their mates.

The End

Pierre

Swamp Desires

Book Two

Coming 2016

Excerpt from Skylar’s Dream

Skylar

I am walking down an endless hallway. I do not know why I am here. Suddenly, a lone figure appears out of nowhere. He is tall with black hair and brown eyes. He is wearing battle gear and is carrying a horn that is hanging from his hip. At seven feet, he looks down at me. I stare in awe at his beauty and perfection.

"Who are you?" I ask him.

"I am the archangel Gabriel. I have been sent to warn you of coming events. You will be tested, my dear. You alone will be able to save the world from the evil that is coming. You are the only one in the world who can control fire. Fire is the only thing that will defeat the evil. You will not walk in this journey alone. Your friends have a part to play as well. Someone close to you will die and someone close to you will return to help you. As quickly as he appears, he will be gone."

I am standing there in utter shock
.
Why me? Why am I always plagued with these dreams? I wish I had a normal life. To be with the man I love and live my life to the fullest just like everyone else.

I slowly wake up. Man, I wish these dreams would just stop.

Rhiannon comes into my room. "You are going to be late for work if you do not get up, Skylar."

"Rhiannon, I had another dream last night."

"Well, what was this one about?" I tell her what the angel Gabriel told me. "Well, I hope your dreams do not come true," she says.

Rhiannon and I have been best friends since kindergarten. Blaze was Rhiannon's adoptive brother. We have all been together since kindergarten. As we got older I realized that I was attracted to him.  I remember the first time we met.  It was the first day of school.  No one would come play with me.  Out of the blue this girl with short black hair came up to me and asked if she could play with me, and of course I said yes.  We have been best friends ever since that day.  We have been pretty much inseparable ever since. 

"I hope they do not come true either, Rhi. I just wish for us to live as normal a life as possible."

"Hey, Skylar, do you think about your dad often? What is it like to lose someone like that?"

"I think about him every day. I miss him terribly. It feels like a part of you has been ripped away. I wish things were different. I wish my mom would have died instead of my dad."

He was such an integral part of my life when he was alive. I do understand why he committed suicide. It does not make it any easier to deal with, though. I would not wish losing a loved one like that on anyone.

"Rhiannon, have you heard from your brother lately?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. He is on his way back from school. He had to go pick up his diploma. He came back this weekend to get set up in an apartment and to start his business."

"Why did he not come see me when he was home?"

"I think he wants to be settled in before he comes to see you, Skylar." Her brother Blaze works as a mechanic at a local auto body shop. Oh and the best part is Blaze is so damn hot with his long brown hair and blue eyes. He is tall and muscular. I mean built in all the right places.  And I have known him since we were kids.  I have always had the biggest crush on him.  In fact when we were teenagers we use to date for a short time. 

My name is Skylar Mackenzie. I am twenty four years old. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I am short by all standards, being only 4'11". I live with my best friend, Rhiannon. After college, we thought it best to move in together to cut the cost of living. I am a preschool teacher at a local daycare and she is an art teacher at the elementary school, so our arrangement works well.

My mother left my dad five years ago for another man. She is so fucking stupid and selfish. I hate her so damn much. She thinks that she is a victim, but in truth, she is not. My dad was so hurt by her deception that he drank himself into a stupor and killed himself.
He
was the victim. I blame my mother for it. If she did not leave him, he would still be alive today.

My mother's name is Bertha. And man, she drives me bat shit crazy. Her idea of a good time is to make me feel like shit. She is constantly lying to me and everyone around her. Did I mention that I'm an only child? It really sucks. I wish I had siblings, because then I would at least have had someone to help me with everything—someone to grieve with. My mother didn’t grieve for my father. But she hadn’t had the connection I had with him.

My dad always told me I was special. I did not believe him until I turned eighteen. After my birthday, strange things started to happen. I could read people’s thoughts and move things with my mind. It is so weird and cool at the same time. Some things I can control easier than others, but my specialty is fire. It’s my element, and I can make it do almost anything I want. Like a moth, I am attracted to the flame. The heat, the color, and even the danger of it intrigue me.

Excerpt from Lucy’s Journey Part One

Lucy

My name is Lucy.  I am a country girl at heart. I have shoulder length wavy red hair and blue eyes. I stand at five foot even. I am an average girl. 

I have always gone to church every Sunday. In God anything is possible. I firmly believe that, and my belief comes from my family. My family is everything, my world.

I have some of the best family members. My brother is in the military and he is my biggest hero. Along with my grandfather. My grandfather sang all the time. He loved to sing those old country songs. He is such an inspiration to me. He was in his nineties when he passed away. I miss him every day. I miss hearing him sing. He was so full of life. He was always on the go. Never really stopping.

I live in a small town called Parkerville, the sticks of Pennsylvania. Parkerville is made up of farms and countryside. It is beautiful country. My favorite place to go in Parkerville is Elmer Hill. It is the highest point in town. You can see the homestead up there. I just love it there. It is so peaceful and quiet. It has always been a place for me to go and think. In the fall, the hills look like they are on fire from the leaves changing. The colors on the leaves are yellow, red, and orange. They are absolutely gorgeous. In the wintertime, everything is white. It is a majestic scene. Andrew and I would go to the diner just for the hot chocolate in the wintertime. They put whipped cream and a cherry in it. It is so delicious and mouthwatering.

The first time that I saw him I knew he was the one. He was everything I was looking for. He stood five foot ten with wavy brown hair with brown eyes. He was different from all of the other guys. I like different. He is shy and keeps to himself. On our third date, he tells me that I will be the mother of our children. I am everything he has ever wanted. I remember our first date. We went to the local diner in town. The name was Molly’s Diner. The food was amazing. The company was even better. We talked all night long about what we both wanted out of life. It was love at first sight. I felt it deep in my soul that he was the one for me. I knew that I would be with him for the rest of my life. I pray To God that it will be a long life so I can spend every waking moment with him. Every Tuesday we would go to the local bar to hear my grandfather sing. It was a weekly outing for us. After months of dates with Andrew, he asked me to marry him. Of course I told him yes. I knew all those months ago that I wanted to marry him. He was my all. A few months later, we all hopped on a plane and headed to Las Vegas to get married. Some of my closest family members came with us to celebrate our love for each other.  We got married at a cute little white chapel in Vegas. It was amazing. I am so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life. One day we will have children. I know things will not always go according to plan. Life does not work that way. I will cherish every moment. For you do not know how long you have on this earth, none of us do.